Shazam! (DVD)

Shazam is one of the more lesser-known (at least to the non-comic book fans) of the DC Superheros. If you are old enough you may remember the cartoon that was on TV back in the 1980s. He is actually a kid named Billy Batson who is given powers by a Wizard that allows him to become a superhero with powers very similar to that of Superman when he says the word Shazam (and he is also transformed into an adult wearing a super-suit with a huge lightning bolt on his chest.In the movie, 14-year old Billy is played by Asher Angel and Shazam/adult/superhero Billy is played by Zachary Levi, who was best known for the underrated series Chuck. Billy is a kid who bounces in and out of various foster homes after running away from them trying to track down his mother who he has not seen since getting lost at a carnival when he was a little kid. He ends up getting his powers from the Wizard Shazam played by Djimon Honsou who is looking for a champion who is pure of heart to inherit his powers to battle the embodiments of the Seven Deadly Sins and their champion Doctor Sivana, played by Mark Strong. The rest of the cast is comprised of child and adult actors including Jack Grazer, Grace Fullerton, Marla Milans, Adam Brody, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Cooper Andrews, Michelle Borth, Jovan Armand, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, DJ Cotrona, and John Glover. Of the supporting cast, Borth, Brody, Good, and Glover are probably the most recognizable. I will not say what roles the supporting cast plays because it would spoil the end of the movie, but all of the actors do a great job with their characters.The movie is really an origin story with Billy trying to figure out his superhero powers. Levi does a great job of playing a 14-year old kid stuck in an adult's body, and you get that he would be a kid not necessarily being a serious hero when he gets these cool powers. Mark Strong did a great job as the bad guy and really played a great villain. The movie really seems to be what DC wanted for its movies, as a mix of action, and comedy with a dash of seriousness mixed in. It feels a lot more like a Marvel movie than the other "Snyderverse" movies.For those who get the 4k set, there is a UHD disc that just has the movie, which looks and sounds great in the format. Then there is a regular Blu-ray disc that has the extras. Those include several behind-the-scenes and making-of features of various lengths, about 37-minutes of deleted and alternate/extended scenes, a gag reel, and a feature on the character of Shazam through the years. All in all, about two hours worth of bonus material (give-or-take).Overall, the movie is very good. As I said, the tone is definitely different than the other DC movies, especially those that Zach Snyder directed, but it fits given the storyline. It is definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of superhero movies, and have not reached the superhero fatigue point yet.

Good kids movie

I liked this movie and saw it twice in the theater, it covers the idea that most of us superhero fans had growing up, what would you do if you were granted super powers and how would you use or utilize them? Would you use them to help others, or just help yourself? Interesting food for thought.

Even during the time when it first came out he was extremely weird for DC to make the decision to even make this movie. Considering what Captain Marvel AKA Shazam is you know a movie just wouldn't feel right to even exist considering how Captain Marvel works considering he's a kid that turns into a full grown adult with super powers similar to that Superman. I could go on and on about the whole circumstances that is Shazam which always makes me laugh considering it's all connected with pure pettiness. I've been enjoyed the shazam movie but I am also saddened by its fate of its franchise and a lot of that is the blame of Dwayne Johnson and is hubris. On top of that it is become even more awkward thanks to its star Zachary levi. If you have been seeing him lately you would understand why but I guess that depend on who you support by the very end of it. Regardless I can move past that and still recognize the fact that I genuinely enjoyed this film so it's still a part of that particular universe and it happens to be one of the better films from that universe along with a few others but it's also a small list.

You can tell that this movie was made with a lower budget than Justice League, or Aquaman, or Wonder Woman. However, it's DC's version of Ant-Man, in that it proves that you don't need a world-shattering plot-line to tell a really, REALLY good superhero story. Shazam should be DC's version of Spider-man, your friendly, neighborhood superhero, who is more interested in saving the people in his life, and his city, than saving the world. And this is where Shazam soars. Shazam's alter-ego is a flawed character, and this is why it works. The audience can connect with him in ways that we can't connect with the alien and god-like Superman. Shazam doesn't come from another planet, or from an idyllic, mythical society, or isn't born from royalty, or isn't a billionaire (who likes to beat up poor people). The story really soars in all the time it takes to develop the characters. The plot is thin, and the villain's quest for power is never given a reason. No, the villain is not complex or have a philosophical point to make, like Black Panther's Killmonger, or Thanos. But the story works precisely because it is small in scale. It's a tale of two hurt and hurting children, who get exposed to magic and react in very different ways.The movie itself earns 5 stars. However, the Bonus features aren't necessary. They add nothing spectacular, except to give you a glimpse at how they made the movie. You get to find out how small in scale this movie actually was - which is refreshing, but you get the same value out of this as with a Marvel movie, because DC has botched their cinematic universe and these movies are stand-alone stories in a disconnected world. Hopefully, DC/Warner Bros. will get its act straight, and Shazam, Aquaman, and Wonder-Woman can be the start to a new and better shared universe.